Not long after launching HUTS and focusing our efforts in the Hudson Valley and Catskills region, we quickly noticed a trending topic in the many conversations we were having with prospective clients and interested followers :

Where should I build ?

We realized that a lot of people had fallen in love with the idea of finding a little space among the rolling hills and majestic mountains of upstate New York, but just didn’t know where to start looking. So we launched our Town Guides series to help. To date, we have profiled 24 fantastic towns from the Hudson to the Delaware, and all of the nooks in between.We showed local shop owners the love, highlighted interesting activities in the area, and featured an available lot listing in each town. Clearly a foreshadowing of what was to come. 

Some time went on, and we noticed another theme emerging in our conversations : How do I find the right parcel of land? This question is a little more complex to answer, as the variables differ immensely from person to person and project to project. But, we knew we could help make this task feel a little less daunting and unwieldy. We set out to create a service that makes the land search process a little more user friendly, a lot less frustrating, and customizable to many different needs.

So how do we do that ?

We begin by breaking down the way we think about land parcels into 4 major categories : 

1. Very affordable (under $50k)
2. Easily developable 
3. More difficult to develop, but with big payoffs
4. Large and difficult to develop, but subdivable 

Ok, that’s a good start. But how can this be distilled even further to really help understand the land?

We also curate and segment listings based on the following searchable factors:

1. County: All of the parcels we source are located in one of six major counties in upstate New York, which include Delaware, Sullivan, Greene, Columbia, Dutchess, and Ulster 
2. Price: We make the sale price and estimated land prep cost clear in your search. 
3. Acreage : How small, big or just-right-sized is each lot? You can search by acreage. 
4. Available utilities: Is there existing electricity ? Access to well water ? Nothing at all? You can search according to these terms as well. 
5. Project level: Will it be relatively easy or rather difficult to develop this lot? We offer our (informed) two cents about this right off the bat so you know what you’re getting into. 
6. Setting: You choose lots you want to view based on being a short drive to nearby towns, or way out there in the boondocks.

These are some key features, but what are the major benefits of HUTS Land?

We take it a few steps further and include a land use diagram for each listing to show exactly how we would approach the development of each individual lot. You definitely won’t find this anywhere on the MLS. This easy to follow diagram is accompanied by a land prep estimate and full description of development methods and ideas to make the best use of the lot. Additionally, we use aerial land surveying technology to scope out the parcel from above to truly understand it’s potential and  deliver the best advice to you. 

For exact estimates and a professional evaluation of the land, soil testing, and septic and well plans, you need to work with a land engineer. What we are providing is an in-depth, user-friendly tool to help you better understand how to unlock the value of the property before you even schedule an appointment with the listing agent to visit. And you will need to work with  the agent whose information is listed for viewing and purchasing the land. We have included their name and contact for you — please do tell them we said hey!

HUTS Land is making the search a little less confusing, and a lot more fun.